Luka Bloom has given project No. 7 for SKIP RECORDS the no-frills title “Eleven Songs”. Analogously, the album cover has been kept decidedly reserved. On the other hand, the contents speak a whole different language, because in contrast to the last albums, which Luka eagerly recorded at his own studio in homey surroundings, this time he has returned to a production style that called for larger studio capacities. A man who has pretty much always stood solo in concert wanted to play and record live together with other musicians in the studio in order to consolidate the intensity and atmosphere of his songs even further: “I needed to push the boundaries a lot more. The songs seemed to demand I move away from my comfort zone and go to a large studio, with great musicians, where we would simply play the songs live together.” And he’s equally open when talking about the basic idea behind the album: “I don’t mind admitting that the template for the record was the sound on the Alison Krauss/Robert Plant record of 2007, ‘Raising Sand’. This raw, beautiful room sound, great musicians and singers, old microphones.” An album arose within 8 intensive days which captivates through its instrumentation alone: Miniature string ensembles, gospel choirs and pedal-steel guitar support the band while giving the certain impression that the musicians have created a mutual tailwind that drives the music to greater heights. From originally 20 tunes, 11 ended up on the album. “Why ‘Eleven Songs’? Well, I always seem to choose a title from a particular song. On this occasion I felt it was important to honor the entire project and find a name for the album which reflected the record. In ‘Eleven Songs’, I guess I’m asking people to take the time to hear the entire record. Each of the songs is important for the album.”